Inclination-adjustable golf training device

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an inclination-adjustable golf training device capable of optionally changing the inclination of its platform, on which a player stands to practice his golf swing, in order to simulate the condition of a real golf course, thereby obtaining an enhanced training effect. The golf training device includes an upper plate assembly, to which a ball supply unit and a controller are internally mounted, the upper plate assembly including an upper plate, on which a player stands to practice his golf swing, a lower plate assembly adapted to support the upper plate while being spaced apart from the upper plate, a vertical reciprocating unit mounted on the lower plate assembly while including driving and driven parts operating to adjust the inclination of the upper plate with respect to the lower plate assembly in all radial directions. The vertical reciprocating unit has four operating points for reciprocation arranged on a circle about the center of the upper plate while being uniformly spaced from one another in a circumferential direction, the operating points being arranged in pairs so that the operating points of each operating point pair are opposite to each other while performing vertical movements of the upper plate in opposite directions by the same distance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a golf training device, and moreparticularly to an inclination-adjustable golf training device capableof optionally changing the inclination of its platform, on which aplayer stands to practice his golf swing, in order to simulate theconditions of a real golf course, thereby obtaining an enhanced trainingeffect.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Various golf training devices have been proposed to allow personsto practice their golf swing.

[0005] Golf training devices conventionally used for indoor golftraining are mainly classified into a training device mainly used forpracticing of golf putting, and a training device mainly used forpracticing of golf shots.

[0006] The present invention is mainly concerned with the latter golftraining device used for practicing of golf shots.

[0007] Hereinafter, “golf training device” represents a device forpracticing golf shots. Now, conventional golf training devices will bedescribed.

[0008] Most conventional golf training devices have a double-platestructure in which upper and lower plates are vertically spaced fromeach other. The upper plate can be inclined with respect to the lowerplate, which is horizontally arranged. The inclination of the upperplate is adjustable using power.

[0009] However, all known proposals have a drawback in that thestructure for transmitting power required to adjust the inclination ofthe upper plate is very complex and heavy, so that it involvesinconvenience in use. Furthermore, the mechanical operation foradjusting the inclination of the upper plate is roughly carried out.

[0010] In the case of proposals using a vertical reciprocating shaftadapted to define an inclination of the upper plate while adjusting theinclination, the reciprocating shaft is installed in such a fashion thatit is spaced apart from the center of the upper plate by a desireddistance. Due to such an arrangement, the position at which thereciprocating shaft is fixed is physically shifted when thereciprocating shaft moves vertically. This shift forces the shaftsupport point to be shifted, thereby causing a torsion of the shaft. Asa result, the mechanical operation is roughly carried out.

[0011] An example of such proposals is disclosed in Korean PatentLaid-open Publication No. 97-25644 entitled “Golf Shot Training Device”.

[0012] The disclosed golf shot training device has a double-platestructure capable of being not only used for a fairway-simulationdevice, but also used for a rough or sand trap-simulation device. Theupper and lower plates of the double-plate structure are centrallycoupled together by means of a universal joint. Hydraulic cylinders arearranged between the upper and lower plates at the four corners of thoseplates, respectively, to adjust an inclination of the upper plate withrespect to the lower plate.

[0013] In accordance with this configuration, the training device shouldbe coupled to a hydraulic pressure supply device because hydrauliccylinders are used as drive means for adjusting the inclination of theupper plate. For this reason, it is difficult to install the golf shottraining device. Furthermore, the maintenance of the golf shot trainingdevice is difficult.

[0014] Meanwhile, a golf training mat configured to adjust theinclination of a foot platform is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-openPublication No. 96-13407. In this case, an intermediate plate isarranged between upper and lower plates to arrange mechanical jacks in amulti-layered fashion. In accordance with this arrangement, theinclination angles of the upper plate in lateral and longitudinaldirections are manually adjusted.

[0015] Although a servo motor or hydraulic jacks are used to generatedrive power, this golf training mat requires a number of hydraulicjacks, and is complex in terms of power equipment. Furthermore, a largeamount of power is consumed for adjustment of inclination. Since thegolf training mat is also heavy, it has drawbacks in that it isdifficult to install and maintain the mat.

[0016] In the case of a golf training foot platform disclosed in KoreanPatent Laid-open Publication No. 97-73641, it is installed on the groundof a golf training field in a partially buried state. This golf trainingfoot platform includes multiple -layers of inclined discs coupled to acentral shaft by means of bearings. Each inclined disc is formed with agear at its outer periphery. A reduction motor is also provided whichhas a pinion adapted to transmit power to an associated one of theinclined disc. In accordance with this configuration, the inclination ofthe foot platform is adjusted in accordance with the rotating amount ofthe multi-layered inclined discs.

[0017] Another golf training mat is also disclosed in Korean UtilityModel Laid-open Publication No. 91-2300. In this golf training mat, acentral plate is interposed between upper and lower plates. Large-sizesemicircular worm wheels are mounted to the upper plate and centralplates, respectively. The upper plate is supported by the central plateat two points while facing the central plate. Similarly, the centralplate is supported by the lower plate at two points while facing thecentral plate and crossing the upper plate at a 90° angle. Each wormwheel is engaged with a worm gear mounted to a drive motor.

[0018] The latter two golf training mats are heavy, so that theirinstallation is difficult. Furthermore, the maintenance of these mats isdifficult because the mats are installed in the form of a fixedconstruction. For this reason, it is very difficult to practically applythe mats.

[0019] Meanwhile, in all known proposals, a golf ball supply device isseparately installed. In other words, the golf ball supply device isinstalled at one side of a golf training mat in an exposed or protrudedstate. For this reason, there is a common drawback in that the golf ballsupply device may serve as an obstacle when the user practices golfshots. Furthermore, no tee or a tee having a fixed height is provided atthe golf ball supply device. For this reason, there are a degradation intraining effects and an inconvenience in use. Moreover, it is difficultto precisely adjust the inclination of the mat. Accordingly, it isimpossible to simulate diverse conditions of a real golf course.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of theproblems involved with the above mentioned related art.

[0021] An object of the invention is to provide aninclination-adjustable golf training device wherein verticalreciprocating means, which includes orthogonally-arranged verticalreciprocating assembly pairs each including driving and drivenreciprocating assemblies facing each other are installed between upperand lower plates, in order to adjust the inclination of the upper plate,so that it can have a light-weight structure.

[0022] Another object of the invention is to provide aninclination-adjustable golf training device capable of achieving aprecise inclination adjustment using reduction motors.

[0023] Another object of the invention is to provide aninclination-adjustable golf training mat which includes a golf ballsupply unit mounted to an upper plate assembly while being verticallymovable to continuously supply golf balls, the golf ball supply devicebeing retracted into an upper plate included in the upper plate assemblyduring the procedure of making a shot, so that it does not serve as anobstacle when the user practices golf shots.

[0024] Another object of the invention is to provide aninclination-adjustable golf training mat including a tee having anadjustable vertical protrusion length, thereby allowing the user topractice iron shots and putting as well as tee shots.

[0025] Another object of the invention is to provide aninclination-adjustable golf training mat including a key pad for anadjustment of inclination and display of an inclined state, therebyallowing a manual control thereof and an automatic control thereof usinga microcomputer.

[0026] In order to accomplish these objects, the present inventionprovides an inclination-adjustable golf training device comprising: ballsupply means configured to vertically reciprocate, and provided with avertically reciprocating tee; a controller for setting a desiredinclination angle, displaying the set inclination angle, and controllingsupplying of a ball; an upper plate assembly, to which the ball supplymeans and the controller are internally mounted, the upper plateassembly including an upper plate; a lower plate assembly adapted tosupport the upper plate of the upper plate assembly while being spacedapart from the upper plate; vertical reciprocating means mounted on thelower plate assembly while including driving and driven parts operatingto adjust the inclination of the upper plate with respect to the lowerplate assembly; and a bellows interposed between the upper and lowerplate assemblies to close a space defined between the upper and lowerplate assemblies.

[0027] The vertical reciprocating means may have four operating pointsfor reciprocation arranged on a circle about the center of the upperplate while being uniformly spaced from one another in a circumferentialdirection, the operating points being arranged in pairs so that theoperating points of each operating point pair are opposite to each otherwhile performing vertical movements of the upper plate in oppositedirections by the same distance, respectively. The line extendingbetween the operating points of one operating point pair is orthogonalto the line of the other operating point pair. The ball supply means isinstalled to be retractable below the upper plate so that it isprotruded above the upper plate when a ball is to be supplied to the teewhile being retracted below the upper plate after supplying the ball.The controller includes a plurality of keys installed on the upper plateand adapted to control the inclination of the upper plate whilecontrolling the entire part of the golf training device.

[0028] The golf training device of the present invention is designed sothat the mounting point of the vertical reciprocating means to the upperplate is variable, in order to absorb a physical shift of the mountingpoint from a vertical axis, on which the mounting point is normallypositioned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Other objects and aspects of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description of embodiments with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

[0030]FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating theconceptual outer construction of an inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice according to the present invention;

[0031]FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an inclination-adjustable golftraining device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032]FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the inclination-adjustablegolf training device of FIG. 2;

[0033]FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the driving part of avertical reciprocating unit included in the inclination-adjustable golftraining device of FIG. 2;

[0034]FIG. 5 is a partially-broken plan view illustrating an internalball supplier according to the present invention;

[0035]FIG. 6 is a back-side view illustrating the internal ballsupplier;

[0036]FIG. 7 is a view illustrating the operation of a ball holding armincluded in the internal ball supplier;

[0037]FIG. 8 is a view illustrating the operation of the internal ballsupplier;

[0038]FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a detailed configuration of theinternal ball supplier;

[0039]FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating an external ball supplieraccording to the present invention;

[0040]FIG. 11 is a plan view partially illustrating the external ballsupplier;

[0041]FIG. 12 is a sectional view illustrating an inclination-adjustablegolf training device according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0042]FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating the driving part of avertical reciprocating unit included in the inclination-adjustable golftraining device of FIG. 12;

[0043]FIG. 14 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 13

[0044]FIGS. 15a and 15 b are sectional and plan views partiallyillustrating the inclination-adjustable golf training device of FIG. 12,respectively;

[0045]FIGS. 16a and 16 b are plan views illustrating the operation ofthe elements shown in FIG. 15;

[0046]FIG. 17 is a sectional view illustrating an inclination-adjustablegolf training device according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0047]FIG. 18 is a plan view illustrating the inclination-adjustablegolf training device of FIG. 17;

[0048]FIGS. 19a to 19 c are views illustrating a detailed configurationof a vertical reciprocating mechanism included in theinclination-adjustable golf training device of FIG. 17, in which FIG.17a is a plan view showing a driving reciprocating assembly, FIG. 17b isa side view showing the driving reciprocating assembly, and FIG. 17c isa side view showing a driven reciprocating assembly;

[0049]FIG. 20 is a view illustrating a ball supply unit according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

[0050]FIG. 21 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 20;

[0051]FIG. 22 is a partially-broken side view illustrating the ballsupply unit coupled to an upper plate;

[0052]FIG. 23 is a plan view illustrating an inclination-adjustable golftraining device according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0053]FIG. 24 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 23;

[0054]FIG. 25 is an enlarged view illustrating the driving part of avertical reciprocating mechanism included in the inclination-adjustablegolf training device of FIG. 24;

[0055]FIG. 26 is an enlarged view illustrating the driving part of thevertical reciprocating mechanism of FIG. 24;

[0056]FIG. 27 is a plan view illustrating an inclination-adjustable golftraining device according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0057]FIG. 28 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 23;

[0058]FIG. 29 is a block diagram illustrating a controller according tothe present invention; and

[0059] FIGS. 30 to 34 are flow charts respectively illustrating controloperations according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0060] Now, the present invention will be described in detail withreference to the annexed drawings.

[0061]FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating theconceptual outer construction of an inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice according to the present invention.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 1, the inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice of the present invention includes a ball supplier 40 configuredto vertically reciprocate, and provided with a vertically reciprocatingtee 450, a controller 60 for setting a desired inclination angle,displaying the set inclination angle, and controlling supplying of aball, and an upper plate assembly 10, to which the ball supplier 40 andthe controller 60 are internally mounted. The inclination-adjustablegolf training device also includes a lower plate assembly 20 adapted tosupport an upper plate included in the upper plate assembly 10 whilebeing spaced apart from the upper plate, a vertical reciprocating unitmounted on the lower plate assembly 20 while including driving anddriven parts operating to adjust the inclination of the upper plate, anda bellows 70 interposed between the upper and lower plate assemblies toclose the space defined between the upper and lower plate assemblies.The vertical reciprocating unit is denoted by the reference numeral 30in FIG. 4

[0063] The vertical reciprocating unit 30, which operates to adjust theinclination of the upper plate, has four operating points forreciprocation arranged on a circle about the center of the upper platewhile being uniformly spaced from one another in a circumferentialdirection. That is, the operating points are arranged in pairs in such afashion that those of each pair are opposite to each other. Theoperating points of each operating point pair perform vertical movementsof the upper plate in opposite directions by the same distance,respectively. The line extending between the operating points of oneoperating point pair is orthogonal to the line of the other operatingpoint pair.

[0064] Thus, the upper plate may be upwardly moved at one operatingpoint of each operating point pair while being downwardly moved at theother operating point of the operating point pair by the same distance.The same movements of the upper plate are carried out at the operatingpoints of the other operating point pair. Accordingly, the upper platecan be inclined from a horizontal plane in all radial directions.

[0065] FIGS. 2 to 11 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the inclination-adjustable golftraining device with its upper plate assembly being omitted.

[0066] In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the upper plateassembly 10 includes an upper plate, to which a plurality of radialsupport bars 12 and an artificial lawn mat are attached. As shown inFIG. 2, the lower plate assembly 20 includes a base plate 21 surroundedby an outer frame 22 and adapted to firmly support the reciprocatingunit while having the same size as the upper plate, a plurality ofradial support bars 23 adapted to mount the base plate 21 to the outerframe 22, and a support plate 24 arranged at the central portion of thebase plate 21 while being vertically spaced apart from the base plate21.

[0067] The vertical reciprocating unit 30, which is mounted to the baseplate 21, includes a pair of driving reciprocating assemblies 31, and apair of driven reciprocating assemblies 32 each cooperating with anassociated one of the driving reciprocating assemblies 31. Each drivingreciprocating assembly 31 includes a gear box 310, and a worm wheel 313received in the gear box 310 and rotatably fitted at opposite endsthereof in holes formed at upper and lower ends of the gear box 310 bymeans of bearings 314. The worm wheel 313 has a central nut portion, anda horizontal gear portion formed around the central nut portion. Adriving shaft 311 extends through the gear box 310 while having a worm312 at its portion received in the gear box 310. The worm 312 is engagedwith the worm wheel 313. A lead screw 315 is threadedly coupled with thecentral nut portion of the worm wheel 313 while extending verticallythrough the central nut portion. The lead screw 315 is axially coupledat the upper end thereof to a flange 317 mounted to the upper plateassembly 10 by means of a universal joint 316.

[0068] A reduction motor 318 is coupled to one end of the driving shaft331 in order to rotate the driving shaft 331. Each driven reciprocatingassembly 32 is connected to the other end of the driving shaft 311included in an associated one of the driving reciprocating assemblies31. The driven reciprocating assembly 32 has the same configuration asthe associated driving reciprocating assembly 31, except that there isno reduction motor. In order to operationally connect the drivenreciprocating assembly 32 to the driving reciprocating assembly 31, theother end of the driving shaft 311 extends through the gear box 310 ofthe driven reciprocating assembly 32. Another worm 312 is formed at theportion of the driving shaft 311 received in the gear box 310 of thedriven reciprocating assembly 32. The worms 312 formed at respectiveopposite portions of the driving shaft 311 and engaged with respectiveworm wheels 313 of the driving and driven reciprocating assemblies 31and 32 have teeth offset from each other, respectively, in order toallow the worm wheels 313 to rotate in opposite directions,respectively. Of course, the worm wheels 313 have offset teeth,respectively.

[0069] Where it is desired to adjust the inclination of the upper plateassembly 10 in accordance with operations of the driving and drivenreciprocating assemblies 31 and 32, the reduction motor 318 operates torotate the driving shaft 311 coupled thereto, thereby rotating the wormwheels 313 engaged with respective worms 312 of the driving shaft 311.In accordance with the rotation of the worm wheels 313, the lead screws315 threadedly coupled to respective central nut portions of the wormwheels 313 move in opposite vertical directions, respectively.Accordingly, the inclination of the upper plate assembly 10 is adjusted.

[0070] Although the driving and driven reciprocating assemblies 31 and32 have the same operating principle, they are coupled to the commondriving shaft 311 such that they are moved in opposite verticaldirections. Thus, the driving and driven reciprocating assemblies 31 and32 serve as a pair of reciprocating assemblies moving in oppositevertical directions, respectively. That is, the reciprocating unit hastwo reciprocating assembly pairs in the illustrated embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0071] When the upper plate of the upper plate assembly 10 is inclinedfrom a horizontal plane in accordance with vertical movements of thelead screws 315, the mounting point of each lead screw 315 to the upperplate tends to be laterally shifted from the axis of the lead screw 315.This physical lateral shift of the mounting point of the lead screw 315results from the tendency of the upper plate to pivot about the centerthereof. In accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the presentinvention, The physical lateral shift of the mounting point is absorbedby the universal joint 316. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent themounting point of each lead screw 315 from being laterally shifted,thereby achieving smooth mechanical operation of the reciprocating unitand upper plate assembly 10.

[0072] As mentioned above, each lead screw 315 is mounted to theassociated flange 317 mounted to the upper plate assembly 10 by means ofthe associated universal joint 316, so that it is mounted to the upperplate assembly 10, respectively. The lead screw 315 is vertically movedin accordance with rotation of the associated worm wheel 313 without anyrotation thereof.

[0073] The driving shaft 311 of one reciprocating assembly pair isarranged to cross the driving shaft 311 of the other reciprocatingassembly pair. In order to prevent these driving shafts 311 frominterfering with each other, the driving shafts 311 are arranged atdifferent levels, respectively. Taking into consideration the levels ofthe driving shafts 311, the horizontal gear portion levels of the wormwheels 313 in the reciprocating assembly pairs are designed to bedifferent from each other.

[0074] Thus, the upper plate assembly 10 is vertically moved in acombined fashion at eight different points, that is, two points of alongitudinal direction, two points of a lateral direction, and fourpoints of two diagonal directions, so that it can be inclined from ahorizontal plane in all radial directions.

[0075] Ball supply means according to the illustrated embodiment of thepresent invention will now be described.

[0076] The ball supply means includes an internal ball supplier 40received in the upper plate assembly 10 while being vertically movable,and an external ball supplier 50 arranged outside the upper plateassembly 10 and adapted to receive a plurality of golf balls.

[0077] The internal ball supplier 40 is received in the upper plateassembly 10 in such a fashion that its upper surface is flush with theupper surface of the upper plate assembly 10. The internal ball supplier40 is configured so that it can be vertically protruded from andretracted into the upper plate assembly 10. The detailed configurationof the internal ball supplier 40 is shown in FIGS. 5 to 9.

[0078] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the ball supplier 40 includes an upperframe 400 having an opening and a tee hole, a ball supply housing 410installed to be movable along the upper frame 400 in such a fashion thatit is protruded from and retracted into the opening of the upper frame400, a ball holding arm pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the ballsupply housing 141 and provided with a pair of ball holding members 411and 412, and a solenoid 413 adapted to slide the ball holding member 412toward the ball holding arm 411, thereby allowing the ball holdingmembers 411 and 412 to hold a golf ball therebetween. The ball holdingmember 412 is always urged to be moved away from the ball holding member411 by a compression coil spring. The internal ball supplier 40 alsoincludes a step motor 414 for pivoting the ball holding arm along withthe solenoid 413. A gear 414 a is mounted to a shaft provided at thestep motor 414. A gear 414 b, which is fixedly mounted to the other endof the ball holding arm, is engaged with the gear 414 a. In accordancewith this construction, the ball holding arm is pivotable between a ballholding position and a ball releasing position in accordance withopposite rotations of the step motor 414 transmitted thereto via thegears 414 a and 414 b. A ball introduction chamber is defined in theball supply housing 410 just below the one end of the ball holding armand at a position corresponding to the one end of the ball holding armmaintained at the ball holding position. The internal ball supplier 40also includes a vertical reciprocating rod 415 mounted at the lowerportion of the ball supply housing 410 in such a fashion that it isvertically movable to be protruded into and retracted from the ballintroduction chamber. The vertical moving rod 415 pushes upwardly a ballintroduced in the ball introduction chamber in accordance with an upwardmovement thereof, thereby allowing the ball holding arm to hold theball. The internal ball supplier 40 further includes a solenoid 417coupled to the vertical moving rod 415 via a link 416 and adapted toapply a vertical movement force to the vertical moving rod 415. Verticalrack members 418 are fixed to opposite lateral ends of the ball supplyhousing 410, respectively. The vertical rack members 418 are engagedwith pinions 420 mounted to opposite portions of a driving shaft 421included in a motor 419 fixedly mounted to the upper frame 400 so thatthey are vertically movable in accordance with the rotating operation ofthe motor 419, thereby causing the ball supply housing 410 to bevertically moved. The internal ball supplier 40 also includes a pushmember 423 adapted to push balls supplied into a ball introductionpassage 422 communicating with the ball introduction chamber, therebysupplying the supplied balls, one by one, into the ball introductionchamber. A tee 450 is provided at a position corresponding to the oneend of the ball holding member maintained at the ball releasingposition. The tee 450 is configured to be vertically moved by a driveforce generated from a motor 451. The tee 450 serves as a seat forreceiving a ball released from the ball holding member at the ballreleasing position.

[0079] The tee 450 includes a vertical rod member formed with racks, anda flexible tube 452 fitted around an upper portion of the vertical rodmember.

[0080] Now, the external ball supplier 50, which serves to supply ballsinto the internal ball supplier 40, will be described.

[0081] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the external ball supplier 50includes a ball container 510 for receiving a plurality of balls, and ahorizontal ball feeder 520. The ball container 510 has a downwardlyinclined ball outlet passage 511. The bottom surface of the ballcontainer 510 is downwardly sloped toward the ball outlet passage 511 inorder to allow balls received in the ball container 510 to be freelydropped into the ball outlet passage 511 by gravity. A horizontalrotating bar member 512 is arranged at the downstream end of the slopedbottom surface of the ball container 510 in order to prevent balls frombeing jammed on the downstream end of the sloped bottom surface. Thehorizontal ball feeder 520 includes a push member 521 horizontallyarranged to horizontally feed, one by one, balls from the ball outletpassage 511 to the inner ball supplier 40, and a motor 522 for rotatingthe push member 521. The push member 521 is provided with arms passingsequentially through the ball outlet passage 511 in a directionorthogonal to the ball outlet passage 511 during the rotation of thepush member 521. The horizontal ball feeder 520 also includes aconnecting tube 523 for connecting the ball outlet passage 511 to theball introduction passage 422 of the inner ball supplier 40.

[0082] FIGS. 12 to 16 illustrate another embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 12 is a sectional view illustrating theinclination-adjustable golf training device according to the illustratedembodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 12 to 16, elementsrespectively corresponding to those in FIGS. 2 to 11 are denoted by thesame reference numerals.

[0083] In accordance with this embodiment, the vertical reciprocatingunit, which is mounted to the base plate 21 and denoted by the referencenumeral 30 a in FIG. 13, includes a pair of driving reciprocatingassemblies 33, and a pair of driven reciprocating assemblies 34 eachcooperating with an associated one of the driving reciprocatingassemblies 33. Each driving reciprocating assembly 33 includes a gearbox 330, and a worm wheel 333 received in the gear box 330 and rotatablyfitted at opposite ends thereof in holes formed at upper and lower endsof the gear box 330 by means of bearings 334. The worm wheel 333 has acentral nut portion, and a horizontal gear portion formed around thecentral nut portion. A driving shaft 331 extends through the gear box330 while having a worm 332 at its portion received in the gear box 330.The worm 332 is engaged with the worm wheel 333. A lead screw 335 isthreadedly coupled with the central nut portion of the worm wheel 333while extending vertically through the central nut portion. The leadscrew 335 also has a vertical guide groove 335 a formed at one side ofthe lead screw 335. A guide 337 is fixedly mounted to the gear box 330so that it is engaged with the vertical guide groove 335 a. The leadscrew 335 is axially coupled at the upper end thereof to the upper plateassembly 10 by means of a ball joint. As shown in FIGS. 15a and 15 b,the ball joint includes a ball 336 mounted to the upper end of the leadscrew 335, and a slide member 339 a pivotally coupled to the ball 336.The slide member 339 a has a central portion pivotally coupled to theball 336, an upper portion extending radially around the centralportion, and a hollow lower portion extending downwardly from thecentral portion. The ball joint also includes a retaining member 339fixedly mounted to the upper plate assembly 10 while surrounding theslide member 339 a. The retaining member 339 has an upper portionsurrounding the upper portion of the slide member 339 a, and a lowerportion surrounding the lower portion of the slide member 339 a. Theupper portion of the retaining member 339 receives the upper portion ofthe slide member 339 a while defining an annular space 339 d around theupper portion of the slide member 339 in order to allow the slide member339 a to slide radially. A pair of springs 339 b are arranged betweenthe lower portion of the retaining member 339 and the lower portion ofthe slide member 339 a while opposing each other. The springs 339 bserve to urge the slide member 339 a to be maintained at a positioncentered with respect to the retaining member 339.

[0084] A reduction motor 338 is coupled to one end of the driving shaft331 in order to rotate the driving shaft 331. Each driven reciprocatingassembly 34 is connected to the other end of the driving shaft 331included in an associated one of the driving reciprocating assemblies33. The driven reciprocating assembly 34 has the same configuration asthe associated driving reciprocating assembly 33, except that there isno reduction motor. In order to operationally connect the drivenreciprocating assembly 34 to the driving reciprocating assembly 33, theother end of the driving shaft 331 extends through the gear box 330 ofthe driven reciprocating assembly 34. Another worm 332 is formed at theportion of the driving shaft 331 received in the gear box 330 of thedriven reciprocating assembly 34. The worms 332 formed at respectiveopposite portions of the driving shaft 331 and engaged with respectiveworm wheels 333 of the driving and driven reciprocating assemblies 33and 34 have teeth offset from each other, respectively, in order toallow the worm wheels 333 to rotate in opposite directions,respectively. Of course, the worm wheels 333 have offset teeth,respectively.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 12, a central shaft 340 extends upwardly fromthe support plate 24 arranged at the central portion of the base plate21 included in the lower plate assembly 20. The central shaft 340 isaxially coupled to the center of the upper plate assembly 10 by means ofa ball joint. This ball joint includes a ball 342 mounted to the upperend of the central shaft 340, and a retaining member 344 pivotallycoupled with the ball 342 and fixedly mounted to the center of the upperplate assembly 10.

[0086] Where it is desired to adjust the inclination of the upper plateassembly 10 in accordance with operations of the driving and drivenreciprocating assemblies 33 and 34, the reduction motor 338 operates torotate the driving shaft 331 coupled thereto, thereby rotating the wormwheels 333 engaged with respective worms 332 of the driving shaft 331.In accordance with the rotation of the worm wheels 333, the lead screws335 threadedly coupled to respective central nut portions of the wormwheels 333 move in opposite vertical directions, respectively.Accordingly, the inclination of the upper plate assembly 10 is adjusted.

[0087] Although the driving and driven reciprocating assemblies 33 and34 have the same operating principle, as in the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to11, they are coupled to the common driving shaft 331 such that they aremoved in opposite vertical directions. Thus, the driving and drivenreciprocating assemblies 33 and 34 serve as a pair of reciprocatingassemblies moving in opposite vertical directions, respectively. Thatis, the reciprocating unit has two reciprocating assembly pairs in theillustrated embodiment of the present invention.

[0088] Meanwhile, each lead screw 335 is vertically moved while beingprevented from rotating by the guide 337 engaged in the vertical guidegroove 335 a. The reason why the lead screw 335 should be prevented fromrotating is that the ball joint mounted to the lead screw 335 isrotatable.

[0089] When the upper plate of the upper plate assembly 10 is inclinedfrom a horizontal plane in accordance with vertical movements of thelead screws 335, the mounting point of each lead screw 335 to the upperplate tends to be laterally shifted from the axis of the lead screw 335.This physical lateral shift of the mounting point of the lead screw 335results from the tendency of the upper plate to pivot about the centerthereof. In accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the presentinvention, The physical lateral shift of the mounting point is absorbedby the ball joint.

[0090] That is, the ball 336 mounted to the upper end of the lead screw335 is pivotally coupled to the slide member 339 a elastically coupledto the retaining member 339 via the springs 339d while being slidablealong the retaining member 339. When the lead screw 335 moves verticallyto adjust the inclination of the upper plate assembly 10, the slidemember 339 a slides by virtue of such a configuration of the ball joint,thereby causing the mounting point of the lead screw 335 to bemaintained without being laterally shifted. The return of the slidemember 339 a to its original position is achieved by the resilience ofthe springs 339 d. The springs 339 d serve to absorb torsion possiblyapplied to the lead screw 335 while applying elasticity to the leadscrew 335.

[0091] The driving shaft 331 of one reciprocating assembly pair isarranged to cross the driving shaft 331 of the other reciprocatingassembly pair. In order to prevent these driving shafts 331 frominterfering with each other, the driving shafts 331 are arranged atdifferent levels, respectively.

[0092] FIGS. 17 to 19 illustrate another embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 17 is a sectional view illustrating theinclination-adjustable golf training device according to the illustratedembodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 17 to 19, elementsrespectively corresponding to those in FIGS. 2 to 11 are denoted by thesame reference numerals.

[0093] As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the inclination-adjustable golftraining device of this embodiment includes an upper plate assembly 10,a lower plate assembly 20, and a vertical reciprocating unit 30 bmounted on the lower plate assembly 20 and connected to the upper plateassembly 10. The vertical reciprocating unit 30 b includes a pair ofvertical reciprocating mechanisms arranged to cross each other. Eachvertical reciprocating mechanism includes a driving reciprocatingassembly 35, and a driven reciprocating assembly 36 cooperating with thedriving reciprocating assembly 35 while facing the driving reciprocatingassembly 35. The vertical reciprocating unit 30 b also includes a balljoint 361 for centrally connecting the upper and lower plate assemblies10 and 20.

[0094] In each vertical reciprocating mechanism of the verticalreciprocating unit 30 b, the driving reciprocating assembly 35 includesa reduction motor 230 fixedly mounted to a support frame 350, a drivegear 351 axially coupled to the reduction motor 352, and a reductiongear 354 coaxially coupled to a drive sprocket 353 and engaged with thedrive gear 351. A guide sprocket 355 is arranged to be flush with thedrive sprocket 353. As shown in FIG. 19c, the driven reciprocatingassembly 36 includes a driven sprocket 353 a and a guide sprocket 355 awhich are axially coupled to a support frame 350 a mounted to the lowerplate assembly 20. A chain 357 extends via the drive and drivensprockets 353 and 353 a and the guide sprockets 355 and 355 a whilebeing engaged with those sprockets. Opposite ends of the chain 357 arefixed to respective support bars 12 included in the lower surface of theupper plate assembly 10. A screw type tension adjustment knob 356 isalso provided to adjust the position of the frame 350 a, therebyadjusting the tension of the chain 357. The ball joint 361 has a lowershaft provided with through holes crossing each other. The chain 357 ofeach vertical reciprocating mechanism extends through an associated oneof the through holes.

[0095] In order to prevent respective chains 357 of the verticalreciprocating mechanisms from interfering with each other, the guidesprockets engaged with one chain 357 are arranged at a level differentfrom that of the guide sprockets engaged with the other chain 357.

[0096] As shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, the internal ball supplier may have amodified configuration. In this case, the internal ball supplier, whichis denoted by the reference numeral 40 a, includes a ball holding armassembly held in the ball supply housing 410, and a vertical rack 430centrally fixed to the outer surface of a rear wall of the ball supplyhousing 410. The vertical rack 430 is engaged with a pinion 432 mountedto a motor 431 fixedly mounted to the upper frame 400 so that it isvertically movable in accordance with the rotating operation of themotor 431. In accordance with the vertical movement of the vertical rack430, the ball supply housing 410 is vertically moved. A hollow guide 434is fixedly mounted to the outer surface of the rear wall of the ballsupply housing 410. A guide rod 433 is also mounted to the lower surfaceof the upper frame 400 so that it extends through the guide 434.Accordingly, the guide rod 433 and guide 434 guide the vertical movementof the ball supply housing 410.

[0097] This internal ball supplier 40 a has the same function as theabove described internal ball supplier 40. Accordingly, detailedoperations of the internal ball supplier 40 will be omitted. Theinternal ball supplier 40 a is different from the internal ball supplier40 in that the drive force of the motor 431 is transmitted to the rackgear 430 centrally mounted to the ball supply housing 410 to verticallymove the ball supply housing 410, and that the vertical movement of theball supply housing 410 is guided by the cooperation of the guide rod433 and guide 434 arranged opposite to the rack gear 430.

[0098] A vertical reciprocating unit according to another embodiment ofthe present invention modified from the embodiment of FIGS. 17 to 19will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 to 26.

[0099] As shown in FIGS. 23 to 26, this vertical reciprocating unit,which is denoted by the reference numeral 30 c, includes a pair ofvertical reciprocating mechanisms each including a driving reciprocatingassembly 37, and a driven reciprocating assembly 38 cooperating with thedriving reciprocating assembly 37 while facing the driving reciprocatingassembly 37.

[0100] Each driving reciprocating assembly 37 includes a reduction motor372 fixedly mounted to a support frame 370 mounted to the lower plateassembly 20, a drive worm 371 axially coupled to the reduction motor372, a lead screw 375 fixed at an upper end thereof to an associated oneof the support bars 12 of the upper plate assembly 10, and a nut member374 a rotatably mounted between the support frame 370 and the lowerplate assembly 20 and threadedly coupled to the lead screw 375 in orderto vertically move the lead screw 375 in accordance with its rotation. Adrive sprocket 373 and a worm wheel 374 are fixedly fitted around thenut member 374 a. The worm wheel 374 is engaged with the drive worm 371.As shown in FIG. 26, the driven reciprocating assembly 38 includes alead screw 375 a fixed at an upper end thereof to an associated one ofthe support bars 12 of the upper plate assembly 10, and a nut member 374b rotatably mounted between the support frame 370 and the lower plateassembly 20 and threadedly coupled to the lead screw 375 a in order tovertically move the lead screw 375 a in accordance with its rotation. Adriven sprocket 373 a are fixedly fitted around the nut member 374 b. Anendless chain, which is denoted by the reference numeral 377, extendsbetween the drive and driven sprockets 373 and 373 a.

[0101] The lead screws 375 and 375 a of the drive and drivenreciprocating assemblies 37 and 38 have threads offset from each other,respectively.

[0102] In order to prevent respective chains 377 of the verticalreciprocating mechanisms from interfering with each other, the sprocketsengaged with one chain 377 are arranged at a level different from thatof the sprockets engaged with the other chain 377. The verticalreciprocating unit 30 c also includes a ball joint 381 for centrallyconnecting the upper and lower plate assemblies 10 and 20.

[0103] When the drive worm 371 and worm wheel 374 are rotated by a driveforce from the motor 372 of the driving reciprocating assembly 37, thenut member 374 a integral with the worm wheel 374 is rotated, therebycausing the lead screw 375 threadedly coupled to the nut member 374 a tobe upwardly or downwardly moved. Since the lead screw 375 a of thedriven reciprocating assembly 38 connected to the driving reciprocatingassembly 37 has threads opposite to those of the lead screw 375, it isvertically moved in a direction opposite to that of the lead screw 375by the drive force transmitted thereto via the chain 377 and sprocket373 a. That is, when one of the associated driving and drivenreciprocating assemblies 37 and 38 moves upwardly, the otherreciprocating assembly moves downwardly. Thus, the inclination of theupper plate assembly 10 about the ball joint 381 is adjusted.

[0104]FIG. 27 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention.In this embodiment, the adjustment of inclination conducted at fouroperating points is implemented using hydraulic cylinders, differentfrom the above mentioned embodiments using electric motors.

[0105] In accordance with this embodiment, the upper plate assembly 10includes an upper plate, to which a plurality of radial support bars 12and an artificial lawn mat are attached. The lower plate assembly 20includes a base plate 21 surrounded by an outer frame 22 and adapted tofirmly support the reciprocating unit while having the same size as theupper plate, a plurality of radial support bars 23 adapted to mount thebase plate 21 to the outer frame 22. A ball joint 361 is mounted to theupper end of a vertical bar extending upwardly from the central portionof the base plate 21 in order to centrally connect the upper and lowerplate assemblies 10 and 20. The vertical reciprocating unit, which isdenoted by the reference numeral 30 d, includes radially-extendinghydraulic cylinders 390 arranged at four points around the ball joint361 while being uniformly spaced from one another in a circumferentialdirection, respectively. That is, the vertical reciprocating unit 30 dincludes two pairs of facing hydraulic cylinders 390. Each cylinder 390has a piston rod 391 coupled, at an outer end thereof protruded from oneend of the cylinder 390, to the lower surface of the upper plateincluded in the upper plate assembly 10 by means of a pin. The other endof each cylinder 390 is hingably mounted to the base plate 21 of thelower plate assembly 20. The hydraulic cylinder pairs are operatedindependently of each other. The vertical reciprocating unit 30 d alsoincludes two hydraulic pumps 392 each adapted to supply hydraulicpressure to the hydraulic cylinders 390 of an associated one of thehydraulic cylinder pairs, and a pair of solenoid assemblies 393respectively associated with the hydraulic pumps 392 and adapted to openand close fluid passages each extending between an associated one of thehydraulic pumps 392 and an associated one of the hydraulic cylinderpairs.

[0106] Each solenoid assembly 393 is configured to independently controlfluid inlet and outlet ports of the associated hydraulic cylinder pair.Although each solenoid assembly 393 is hydraulically connected to eachcylinder of the associated hydraulic cylinder pair via a hydraulic line,the illustration of such a hydraulic line is omitted from FIG. 27.

[0107] In accordance with this embodiment, the inclination of the upperplate assembly 10 is adjusted in all radial directions by theradially-arranged hydraulic cylinders, in which the protruded lengths oftheir piston rods are adjusted by hydraulic pressure.

[0108] The control for the operations of all elements in each of theabove described embodiments of the present invention is achieved using amicrocomputer. Accordingly, the controller, which will be describedhereinafter, can be applied in common to at least the embodiments usingelectric motors. Of courser, the controller can also easily applied tothe embodiment, in which its vertical reciprocating assembly includeshydraulic cylinders, by modifying the controller to control theoperation of each solenoid assembly in place of the operation of eachelectric motor.

[0109]FIG. 29 is a block diagram illustrating the controller applied tothe present invention.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 29, the controller, which is denoted by thereference numeral 60, includes a control unit 610. The control unit 610includes a microcomputer for detecting operating states of elements tobe controlled, performing a computation based on the detected operationstates, and controlling operations of driving elements based on thecomputed result, an over-current detector 611 for detecting anover-current state of each electric motor, and stopping the operation ofthe electric motor when it detects the over-current state, and aplurality of input and output ports. The controller 60 also includes akey pad 620 having a plurality of keys generating key signals to beinputted to the control unit 610 in order to adjust the inclination ofthe upper plate assembly or to conduct other manipulations. In FIG. 29,the keys are assigned with numbers 1 to 12, respectively. The controller60 further includes a first sensor unit 630, and a second sensor unit640. The first sensor unit 630 includes X and Y-axis movement detectors631 and 632 for detecting the moved distances of the upper plateassembly in X and Y-axis directions, respectively, a ball supplyposition detector 633 including a plurality of sensors to allow balls tobe continuously supplied, an arm position detector 634 for detectingprotruded and retracted positions of the ball holding arm, a tee leveldetector 635 for detecting the level of the tee, a tee level limitdetector 636 for detecting upper and lower level limits of the tee, anda ball supply housing movement limit detector 637 for detecting theprotrusion and retraction limits of the ball supply housing. The secondsensor unit 640 includes a plurality of limit switches adapted to detectthe downward movement of the upper plate assembly exceeding apredetermined lower movement limit at eight radial positions,respectively. In the illustrated case, the second sensor unit 640includes eight limit switches L1 to L8.

[0111] Each of the limit switches L1 to L8 included in the second sensorunit 640 is adapted to detect an inclination of the upper plate assemblyexceeding an angle range of ±10° from a horizontal plane. When one ofthe limit switches L1 to L8 detects such an excessive inclination, it isactivated to stop all driving elements.

[0112] The controller 60 further includes a control motor driving unit650 for controlling a plurality of control motors under the control ofthe control unit 610. The control motor driving unit 650 includes a pushmotor driver 651 for driving the push motor adapted to generate apushing force for pushing balls discharged from the external ballsupplier toward the internal ball supplier, thereby supplying balls tothe internal ball supplier, a vertical reciprocating motor driver 652for driving the vertical reciprocating motor adapted to vertically movethe ball supply housing, a push motor driver 653 for driving the pushmotor adapted to generate a pushing force for pushing balls supplied tothe internal ball supplier toward the ball supply housing, therebysupplying balls to the interior of the ball supply housing, a step motordriver 654 for driving the step motor adapted to pivotally move the ballholding arm, a tee reciprocating motor driver 655 for driving the teereciprocating motor adapted to vertically move the tee, and a bar memberrotating motor driver 656 for driving the bar member rotating motoradapted to rotate the rotating bar member for preventing balls frombeing jammed within the horizontal ball feeder of the external ballsupplier. The controller 60 also includes an upper plate assemblyreciprocating motor driving unit 680, which includes X and Y-axisreciprocating motors 681 and 682 for vertically reciprocating the upperplate assembly in X and Y-axis directions, and a motor drive 683 fordriving the X and Y-axis reciprocating motors 681 and 682. Thecontroller 60 further includes a solenoid driving unit 660 including areciprocating rod solenoid driver 661 for driving the solenoid adaptedto vertically reciprocate the vertical reciprocating rod in order toupwardly move the ball, supplied to the interior of the internal ballsupplier, up to the ball holding position, and a ball holding armsolenoid driver 662 for driving the solenoid adapted to allow the ballholding arm to hold the ball at the ball holding position. Thecontroller 60 also includes a display unit 670 having seven segments todisplay various control states including use time, ball count, andinclination, and a power supply unit 690 for supplying drive power toall control circuits and driving units.

[0113] The ball supply position detector 633 may be provided in multiplein accordance with at least the structure of the ball feeding path. Inthis case, the ball supply position detectors may be freely designed bydefining the ball feeding path using a curved connecting tube. Each ofthe arm position detector 634, tee level limit detector 636, and ballsupply housing movement limit detector 637 includes a plurality ofsensors adapted to detect at least the upper and lower limits.

[0114] Each sensor of each detector may comprise an encoder in the casein which it is adapted to detect a moved length. Where it is desired todetect a moved position, the sensor may comprise an optical switch suchas a photo transistor or a proximity switch.

[0115] The operations and functions of the present invention can beclearly understood by referring to the following detailed descriptiongiven in conjunction with the control operation of the controller havingthe above mentioned configuration.

[0116] The control operation of the controller will be described withreference to FIGS. 30 to 34.

[0117] When power is supplied to the controller, the tee is moved to itslower position, based on the result of detection made by the tee levellimit detector 636, and stopped at the lower position. In order tosubsequently supply a ball to the ball holding arm, the ball holding armis moved to the ball holding position within the ball supply housing,based on the result of detection made by the arm position detector 634.At this time, the ball supply housing is also moved to its lowerposition.

[0118] Meanwhile, the push motor is driven until the connecting tube isfilled with balls supplied from the external ball supplier, so as tosufficiently supply balls to the ball introduction passage of theinternal ball supplier connected to the connecting tube.

[0119] Thereafter, the X-axis reciprocating motor is driven to rotate ina clockwise direction until the X-axis is horizontally maintained,whereas the Y-axis reciprocating motor is driven to rotate in acounter-clockwise direction until the Y-axis is horizontally maintained.Thus, the initialization of the inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice is completed.

[0120] Following the initialization procedure, sub-routines, that is,control procedures for a key input process and a ball supply process,are executed. When a trouble occurs during the execution of eachsub-routine, all drive motors are stopped, based on detection of thistrouble.

[0121] In the key input process, as shown in FIG. 31, motors arecontrolled, based on direction key inputs from keys respectivelyassigned with key numbers 1 to 8 corresponding to eight different radialdirections of the inclination of upper plate assembly, in order tooperate normally or reversely, thereby adjusting the inclination of theupper plate assembly in a desired radial direction, that is, an X orY-axis direction. When a key input from the ninth key is detected, theupper plate assembly is controlled to be horizontally maintained.

[0122] When key inputs from the eleventh and twelfth keys are detected,the tee reciprocating motor is driven to move in upward and downwarddirections, respectively.

[0123] When a key input from the tenth key is detected, a tenth keyprocess illustrated in FIG. 32 is executed. That is, control operationis performed to position a ball from the internal ball supplier on thetee. In this tenth key process, control operations are executed toupwardly move the ball supply housing in a state in which the suppliedball is laid on the vertical reciprocating rod, and to reversely drivethe housing motor when over-current supplied to the housing motor isdetected, thereby downwardly moving the ball supply housing to itsinitial position. The over-current is caused by a continued operation ofthe housing motor in a state in which the ball supply housing hasreached its upper limit, or other erroneous upward movement operations.

[0124] When a detect signal from the sensor adapted to detect the ballsupply housing reaching its upper limit is sensed, the reciprocating rodsolenoid internally installed in the ball supply housing is activated toupwardly move the ball to the ball holding arm. Thereafter, the ballholding arm solenoid is activated to allow the ball holding arm to holdthe ball.

[0125] Once the ball holding arm holds the ball, it is pivotally movedto the ball releasing position where the ball is vertically aligned withthe tee. In this state, control operations are executed to deactivatethe ball holding arm solenoid, thereby laying the ball on the tee, toreturn the ball holding arm to its original position, and to retract theprotruded ball supply housing into the upper plate assembly.

[0126] The sequential supply of balls into the ball supply housing iscontrolled in accordance with the ball supply process illustrated inFIG. 33.

[0127] When the ball detecting sensor adapted to sense balls suppliedfrom the external ball supplier senses balls, the push motor of theexternal ball supplier is driven for a desired time to rotate in acounter-clockwise direction, in order to push the balls toward the innerball supplier, thereby supplying those balls to the inner ball supplier.In this state, the ball push motor of the inner ball supplier is drivento rotate one revolution, in order to feed the supplied balls, one byone, to a position arranged over the vertical reciprocating rod. Whenover-current is detected during the operation of the ball push motor, acontrol operation is executed to reversely rotate the ball push motor toits initial position. After the ball push motor is positioned at itsinitial position, the supply of balls is carried out again.

[0128] Where no ball is detected by the ball detecting sensor, the pushmotor of the external ball supplier is driven to rotate in a clockwisedirection, in order to supply balls. When balls are too densely filledin the ball supply passage without being properly aligned, therebypreventing the push motor from rotating, over-current is generated. Whensuch over-current is detected, a control operation is executed totemporarily operate the push motor in a reverse direction.

[0129] Thus, balls can be continuously supplied while being in closecontact with one another in an aligned state.

[0130]FIG. 34 illustrates an error checking process executed by thecontroller according to the present invention.

[0131] In this error checking process, the lower movement limit of theupper plate assembly is regulated, in order to protect the entireelement of the inclination-adjustable golf training device by stoppingthe drive motors when the upper plate assembly is downwardly movedbeyond the lower movement limit. The limit switches of the second sensorunit 640 provided to achieve this control are installed at the outerframe of the lower plate assembly. The limit switches serve to detectthe downward movement of the upper plate assembly exceeding the lowermovement limit at eight radial positions, respectively. Each of thelimit switches is adapted to detect an inclination of the upper plateassembly exceeding an angle range of ±10° from a horizontal plane. Whenany one of the limit switches detects such an excessive inclination, itis activated to stop the X and Y-axis drive motors for the upper plateassembly after briefly driving those drive motors in a reversedirection. At this time, the ball holding arm motor, tee reciprocatingmotor, and push motors are controlled to be stopped.

[0132] As apparent from the above description, the present inventionprovides an inclination-adjustable golf training device wherein verticalreciprocating means, which includes orthogonally-arranged verticalreciprocating assembly pairs each including driving and drivenreciprocating assemblies facing each other are installed between upperand lower plates, in order to adjust the inclination of the upper plate.By virtue of such a configuration, the inclination-adjustable golftraining device can have a light-weight structure.

[0133] In accordance with the present invention, it is possible toaccurately adjust the inclination of the upper plate within an anglerange of ±10° by driving reduction motors. The upper plate can beinclined at eight different points, that is, two points of alongitudinal direction, two points of a lateral direction, and fourpoints of two diagonal directions, so that it can be inclined from ahorizontal plane in all radial directions. Accordingly, it is possibleto easily simulate the conditions of a real golf course, therebyobtaining an enhanced training effect.

[0134] Continuous supply of balls is possible by virtue of the provisionof a golf ball supply unit. Since the ball supply unit is configured tobe retracted into the upper plate during the procedure of making a shot,it does not serve as an obstacle when the user practices golf shots. Theinclination-adjustable golf training device of the present inventionuses a tee configured to have an adjustable vertical protrusion height,thereby allowing the user to practice iron shots and putting as well astee shots. The golf training device also includes a key pad adapted tobe manipulated for an adjustment of inclination and to display theinclined state of the upper plate. Accordingly, it is possible not onlyto manually control the golf training device, but also to automaticallycontrol the golf training device using a microcomputer.

[0135] Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An inclination-adjustable golf training devicecomprising: ball supply means configured to vertically reciprocate, andprovided with a vertically reciprocating tee; a controller for setting adesired inclination angle, displaying the set inclination angle, andcontrolling supplying of a ball; an upper plate assembly, to which theball supply means and the controller are internally mounted, the upperplate assembly including an upper plate; a lower plate assembly adaptedto support the upper plate of the upper plate assembly while beingspaced apart from the upper plate; vertical reciprocating means mountedon the lower plate assembly while including driving and driven partsoperating to adjust the inclination of the upper plate with respect tothe lower plate assembly; and a bellows interposed between the upper andlower plate assemblies to close a space defined between the upper andlower plate assemblies.
 2. The inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the vertical reciprocating meanshas four operating points for reciprocation arranged on a circle aboutthe center of the upper plate while being uniformly spaced from oneanother in a circumferential direction, the operating points beingarranged in pairs so that the operating points of each operating pointpair are opposite to each other while performing vertical movements ofthe upper plate in opposite directions by the same distance,respectively, the line extending between the operating points of oneoperating point pair being orthogonal to the line of the other operatingpoint pair.
 3. The inclination-adjustable golf training device accordingto claim 1, wherein the vertical reciprocating means comprises at leasttwo vertical reciprocating mechanisms each comprising: a driving shafthaving a pair of worms having teeth offset from each other; a reductionmotor coupled to the drive shaft; a driving reciprocating assemblyengaged with one of the worms; and a driven reciprocating assemblyengaged with the other worm, so that the driving and drivenreciprocating assemblies being reciprocated in opposite directions,respectively, each of the driving and driven reciprocating assembliescomprising a gear box, through which the drive shaft extends, a wormwheel received in the gear box and rotatably fitted at opposite endsthereof in holes formed at upper and lower ends of the gear box bybearings, the worm wheel having a first central nut portion, and a firsthorizontal gear portion formed around the first central nut portion andengaged with the one worm of the driving shaft, and a lead screwthreadedly coupled with the central nut portion of the worm wheel whileextending vertically through the central nut portion, the lead screwbeing axially coupled at an upper end thereof to a flange mounted to theupper plate assembly by a universal joint.
 4. The inclination-adjustablegolf training device according to claim 1, wherein the ball supply meanscomprises: an internal ball supplier received in the upper plateassembly while being vertically movable; and an external ball supplierarranged outside the upper plate assembly and adapted to receive aplurality of golf balls.
 5. The inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice according to claim 4, wherein the internal ball supplier isreceived in the upper plate assembly so that an upper surface thereof isflush with an upper surface of the upper plate assembly, and comprises:an upper frame having an opening and a tee hole; a ball supply housinginstalled to be movable along the upper frame so that it is protrudedfrom and retracted into the opening of the upper frame; a ball holdingarm pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the ball supply housing andprovided with a pair of ball holding members always urged to be movedaway from each other; a first solenoid adapted to slide the ball holdingmember toward the ball holding arm, thereby allowing the ball holdingmembers to hold a golf ball therebetween; a step motor for pivoting theball holding arm along with the first solenoid between a ball holdingposition and a ball releasing position; gears respectively mounted tothe step motor and the other end of the ball holding arm, and adapted totransmit a drive force from the step motor to the ball holding arm, thegears being engaged with each other; a ball introduction chamber definedin the ball supply housing just below the one end of the ball holdingarm and at a position corresponding to the one end of the ball holdingarm maintained at the ball holding position; a vertical reciprocatingrod mounted at a lower portion of the ball supply housing so that it isvertically movable to be protruded into and retracted from the ballintroduction chamber, the vertical moving rod pushing upwardly a ballintroduced in the ball introduction chamber in accordance with an upwardmovement thereof, thereby allowing the ball holding arm to hold theball; a second solenoid coupled to the vertical moving rod via a linkand adapted to apply a vertical movement force to the vertical movingrod; a push member adapted to push balls supplied into a ballintroduction passage communicating with the ball introduction chamber,thereby supplying the supplied balls, one by one, into the ballintroduction chamber; and a tee provided at a position corresponding tothe one end of the ball holding member maintained at the ball releasingposition, the tee being vertically moved by a drive force generated froma motor and serving as a seat for receiving a ball released from theball holding member at the ball releasing position, the tee including avertical rod member formed with racks, and a flexible tube fitted aroundan upper portion of the vertical rod member.
 6. Theinclination-adjustable golf training device according to claim 4,wherein the external ball supplier comprises: a ball container forreceiving a plurality of balls, the ball container having a downwardlyinclined ball outlet passage, and a bottom surface downwardly slopedtoward the ball outlet passage in order to allow balls received in theball container to be freely dropped into the ball outlet passage bygravity; a horizontal rotating bar member arranged at a downstream endof the sloped bottom surface of the ball container and adapted toprevent balls from being jammed on the downstream end of the slopedbottom surface; and a horizontal ball feeder including a push memberhorizontally arranged to horizontally feed, one by one, balls from theball outlet passage to the inner ball supplier, a motor for rotating thepush member, and a connecting tube for connecting the ball outletpassage to a ball introduction passage of the inner ball supplier. 7.The inclination-adjustable golf training device according to claim 4,wherein the internal ball supplier comprises: vertical rack membersfixed to opposite lateral ends of the ball supply housing, respectively;and pinions mounted to opposite portions of a drive shaft included in amotor and engaged with the vertical rack members, respectively, wherebythe vertical rack members are vertically movable in accordance with arotating operation of the motor, thereby causing the ball supply housingto be vertically moved.
 8. The inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice according to claim 4, wherein the internal ball suppliercomprises: an upper frame having an opening and a tee hole; a ballsupply housing installed to be movable along the upper frame so that itis protruded from and retracted into the opening of the upper frame; aball holding arm assembly held in the ball supply housing; a verticalrack centrally fixed to a rear wall of the ball supply housing; a pinionmounted to a motor fixedly mounted to the upper frame and engaged withthe vertical rack; a hollow guide fixedly mounted to the rear wall ofthe ball supply housing; and a guide rod mounted to the upper frame sothat it extends through the guide, the guide rod serving to guide avertical movement of the ball supply housing in cooperation with thehollow guide.
 9. The inclination-adjustable golf training deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the vertical reciprocating means comprisesat least two vertical reciprocating mechanisms each comprising: adriving shaft having a pair of worms having teeth offset from eachother; a reduction motor coupled to the drive shaft; a drivingreciprocating assembly engaged with one of the worms; and a drivenreciprocating assembly engaged with the other worm, so that the drivingand driven reciprocating assemblies being reciprocated in oppositedirections, respectively, each of the driving and driven reciprocatingassemblies comprising a gear box, through which the drive shaft extends,a worm wheel received in the gear box and rotatably fitted at oppositeends thereof in holes formed at upper and lower ends of the gear box bybearings, the worm wheel having a first central nut portion, and a firsthorizontal gear portion formed around the first central nut portion andengaged with the one worm of the driving shaft, and a lead screwthreadedly coupled with the central nut portion of the worm wheel whileextending vertically through the central nut portion, the lead screwhaving a vertical guide groove formed at one side thereof; a guidefixedly mounted to the first gear box so that it is engaged with thevertical guide groove; and a ball joint adapted to axially couple anupper end of the lead screw to a flange mounted to the upper plateassembly, the ball joint comprising a ball mounted to the upper end ofthe lead screw, a slide member pivotally coupled to the ball, the slidemember having a central portion pivotally coupled to the ball, an upperportion extending radially around the central portion, and a hollowlower portion extending downwardly from the central portion, a retainingmember fixedly mounted to the upper plate assembly while surrounding theslide member, the retaining member having an upper portion surroundingthe upper portion of the slide member while defining an annular spacearound the upper portion of the slide member in order to allow the slidemember to slide radially, and a lower portion surrounding the lowerportion of the slide member, and a pair of springs arranged between thelower portion of the retaining member and the lower portion of the slidemember while opposing each other, the springs serving to urge the slidemember to be maintained at a position centered with respect to theretaining member.
 10. The inclination-adjustable golf training deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein the vertical reciprocating means furthercomprises: a central shaft extending upwardly from a support platearranged at a central portion of the lower plate assembly; and a balljoint adapted to axially couple the central shaft to the center of theupper plate assembly, the ball joint including a ball mounted to anupper end of the central shaft, and a retaining member pivotally coupledwith the ball and fixedly mounted to the center of the upper plateassembly, whereby the slide member of the ball joint included in each ofthe driving and driven reciprocating assemblies slides from the axis ofthe lead screw of the associated reciprocating assembly against a springforce of the springs when the associated lead screw moves vertically toadjust an inclination of the upper plate assembly, thereby a mountingpoint of the lead screw to the upper plate assembly to be maintained onthe axis of the lead screw.
 11. The inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice according to claim 1, wherein: the vertical reciprocating meanscomprises at least two vertical reciprocating mechanisms each comprisinga driving reciprocating assembly, and a driven reciprocating assembliescooperating with the driving reciprocating assembly while facing thedriving reciprocating assembly, and a ball joint for centrallyconnecting the upper and lower plate assemblies; the drivingreciprocating assembly comprises a reduction motor fixedly mounted to asupport frame mounted to the lower plate assembly, a drive gear axiallycoupled to the reduction motor, a reduction gear coaxially coupled to adrive sprocket and engaged with the drive gear, and a first guidesprocket arranged to be flush with the drive sprocket; the drivenreciprocating assembly comprises a driven sprocket and a second guidesprocket axially coupled to the support frame; each of the verticalreciprocating mechanism further comprises a chain extending via thedrive and driven sprockets and the guide sprockets, the chain beingfixed to the upper plate assembly at opposite ends thereof, and a screwtype tension adjustment knob provided to adjust the position of thesupport frame, thereby adjusting the tension of the chain; the balljoint comprises a lower shaft provided with through holes crossing eachother, each of the through hole allowing the chain of an associated oneof the vertical reciprocating mechanisms to extend therethrough; and theguide sprockets engaged with the chain of the one vertical reciprocatingmechanism is arranged at a level different from that of the guidesprockets engaged with the chain of the other vertical reciprocatingmechanism.
 12. The inclination-adjustable golf training device accordingto claim 1, wherein: the vertical reciprocating means comprises at leasttwo vertical reciprocating mechanisms each comprising a drivingreciprocating assembly, and a driven reciprocating assembliescooperating with the driving reciprocating assembly while facing thedriving reciprocating assembly, and a ball joint for centrallyconnecting the upper and lower plate assemblies, the ball joint servingas a support point for the upper lower plate assembly; the drivingreciprocating assembly comprises a reduction motor fixedly mounted to afirst support frame, a drive worm axially coupled to the reductionmotor, a first lead screw fixed at an upper end thereof to the upperplate assembly, and a first nut member rotatably mounted between thefirst support frame and the lower plate assembly and threadedly coupledto the first lead screw in order to vertically move the first lead screwin accordance with rotation thereof, a drive sprocket fixedly fittedaround the first nut member, and a first worm wheel fixedly fittedaround the first nut member and engaged with the drive worm; the drivenreciprocating assembly comprises a second lead screw fixed at an upperend thereof to the upper plate assembly, the second lead screw havingthreads offset from threads of the first lead screw, a second nut memberrotatably mounted between a second support frame and the lower plateassembly and threadedly coupled to the second lead screw in order tovertically move the lead screw in accordance with its rotation, and adriven sprocket fixedly fitted around the second nut member; each of thevertical reciprocating mechanisms further comprises an endless chainextending between the drive and driven sprockets; and the drive anddriven sprockets engaged with the chain of an associated one of thevertical reciprocating mechanisms are arranged at a level different fromthat of the drive and driven sprockets engaged with the chain of theother vertical reciprocating mechanism.
 13. The inclination-adjustablegolf training device according to claim 1, wherein the verticalreciprocating means comprises: a vertical bar extending upwardly from acentral portion of a base plate included in the lower plate assembly; aball joint mounted to an upper end of the vertical bar and adapted tocentrally connect the upper and lower plate assemblies in an axialdirection; radially-extending hydraulic cylinders arranged at fourpoints around the ball joint while being uniformly spaced from oneanother in a circumferential direction, respectively, so that thehydraulic cylinders are arranged in pairs while facing each other ineach of the hydraulic cylinder pairs, each of the hydraulic cylindershaving a piston rod coupled, at an outer end thereof protruded from oneend of the hydraulic cylinder, to a lower surface of the upper plateassembly by a pin while being hingably mounted to the base plate of thelower plate assembly at the other end thereof; hydraulic pumps eachadapted to supply hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinders of anassociated one of the hydraulic cylinder pairs; and solenoid assembliesrespectively associated with the hydraulic pumps and adapted to open andclose fluid passages each extending between an associated one of thehydraulic pumps and an associated one of the hydraulic cylinder pairs,each of the solenoid assemblies being configured to independentlycontrol at least four fluid ports.
 14. The inclination-adjustable golftraining device according to claim 1, wherein the upper plate assemblyis inclined within an angle range of ±10° from a horizontal plane. 15.The inclination-adjustable golf training device according to claim 1,wherein the controller comprises: a control unit comprising amicrocomputer for detecting operating states of elements to becontrolled, performing a computation based on the detected operationstates, and controlling operations of driving elements based on thecomputed result, and an over-current detector for detecting anover-current state of an electric motor, and stopping the operation ofthe electric motor when it detects the over-current state, and aplurality of input and output ports; a key pad including a plurality ofkeys generating key signals to be inputted to the control unit in orderto adjust the inclination of the upper plate assembly or to conductother manipulations; a first sensor unit including X and Y-axis movementdetectors for detecting moved distances of the upper plate assembly in Xand Y-axis directions, respectively, a ball supply position detectorhaving a plurality of sensors to allow balls to be continuouslysupplied, an arm position detector for detecting protruded and retractedpositions of a ball holding arm included in the vertical reciprocatingmeans, a tee level detector for detecting the level of a tee included inthe vertical reciprocating means, a tee level limit detector fordetecting upper and lower level limits of the tee, and a ball supplyhousing movement limit detector for detecting protrusion and retractionlimits of a ball supply housing included in the vertical reciprocatingmeans; a second sensor unit including a plurality of limit switchesadapted to detect a downward movement of the upper plate assemblyexceeding a predetermined lower movement limit at eight radialpositions, respectively; a control motor driving unit for controlling aplurality of control motors under a control of the control unit, thecontrol motor driving unit including a push motor driver for driving apush motor adapted to generate a pushing force for pushing ballsdischarged from an external ball supplier included in the ball supplymeans toward an internal ball supplier included in the ball supplymeans, thereby supplying balls to the internal ball supplier, a verticalreciprocating motor driver for driving a vertical reciprocating motoradapted to vertically move the ball supply housing, a push motor driverfor driving a push motor adapted to generate a pushing force for pushingballs supplied to the internal ball supplier toward the ball supplyhousing, thereby supplying balls to the interior of the ball supplyhousing, a step motor driver for driving a step motor adapted topivotally move the ball holding arm, a tee reciprocating motor driverfor driving a tee reciprocating motor adapted to vertically move thetee, and a bar member rotating motor driver for driving a bar memberrotating motor adapted to rotate a rotating bar member for preventingballs from being jammed within a horizontal ball feeder included in theexternal ball supplier; an upper plate assembly reciprocating motordriving unit including X and Y-axis reciprocating motors for verticallyreciprocating the upper plate assembly in X and Y-axis directions, and amotor drive for driving the X and Y-axis reciprocating motors; asolenoid driving unit including a reciprocating rod solenoid driver fordriving a solenoid adapted to vertically reciprocate a verticalreciprocating rod serving to upwardly move the ball supplied to theinterior of the internal ball supplier up to a ball holding position,and a ball holding arm solenoid driver for driving a solenoid adapted toallow the ball holding arm to hold the ball at the ball holdingposition; a display unit having seven segments to display variouscontrol states including use time, ball count, and inclination; and apower supply unit for supplying drive power to all control circuits ofthe controller and all driving units of the golf training device. 16.The inclination-adjustable golf training device according to claim 15,wherein each of the ball position detector, the arm position detector,the tee level limit detector, and the ball supply housing movement limitdetector comprises a plurality of sensors adapted to detect at least theupper and lower limits.
 17. The inclination-adjustable golf trainingdevice according to claim 16, wherein each sensor of each detectorcomprises an encoder adapted to detect a moved length, and an opticalswitch adapted to a moved position.
 18. The inclination-adjustable golftraining device according to claim 17, wherein the optical switch is aproximity switch.